Kazakhstan given closed internet, Privacy debate begins again

The internet has always been a place for the open exploration of all things good, bad and ugly but it seems that that right could soon be made obsolete for many users as governments step up their bids to reduce the openness of the online world, keeping search results firmly enclosure behind a virtual wall of censorship.

The internet has become a platform in which free expression, open opinions and innovation have been displayed across the globe, sparking a whole new level of debate in relation to the ability to reveal both positive and negative thoughts on the biggest stage possible.

Google has revealed through their Google blog that they have received a document from the Kazakhstan Network Information Centre that has been issued by the Ministry of Communications and Information in the country that tells the online giants that all .kz domain names, including Google.kz, have to operate from servers within their borders.

The push for a closed internet within Kazakhstan would mean that the government would be trying to add borders to an infrastructure that has developed over the last 30 years into something that has become free-flowing, connecting nations through a series of cables.

The post on the official Google blog outlines that they feel that the move will not only mean that they going to have to assess their network efficiency but also the user's right to free expression and privacy.

Now I personally back the idea of having an open internet and virtual world but there does have to be some form of guidance, generally set by governmental laws and legislation.

Remembering the fact that there are legal laws that are designed to shape the way in which society works across each and every border means that you have to open your mind to the slight moderation of online activity, something that should be set by country government bodies rather than by Google or ultimately the United States government.

We all want to keep hold of an open internet but in a world where there are laws, requirements and expectations, surely you can't expect an infrastructure that is uncensored?

Well it seems that Google obviously share a view on the issue with me, seemingly increasing their own censorship of the internet through the use of filters that are designed to reduce the user capacity to find piracy related terms.

A report that has been published by TorrentFreak seems to indicate that the filtration list of the search engine giants is increasing further, now omitting terms such as ‘mediafire' from their instant search suggestions.

Google are obviously standing by their battle against piracy but it seems that until they are willing to completely remove the torrent sites from their search results, they are only willing to make small steps due to the fear of losing users.

The list of omitted filter words has not been published anywhere, simply due to the fact that Google are unwilling to open up their actions, obviously believing that keeping their records close to their chest will produce damage limitation across the piracy networks.

I leave you with this thought; can you expect a free internet when there is no chance of a world without repercussion?

Alex Graves

Developing his SEO knowledge based on a 'quality over quantity' thesis, Alex believes that careful research and link acquisition is vital when working on projects, ensuring that each and every step taken is a positive one.

Making your inbox more interesting

Looking to keep up to date, or find out those things we can’t mention on the blog? Then sign up to our semi-regular newsletter. Don’t worry, we won’t spam you.

Email Address

2 Comments

Jason - http://www.domainmethods.com

I guess I’m going to have to contact “Brother Bilo” to get web hosting space to hock my wares in Kazak…

Starstruck

“Google are obviously standing by their battle against piracy but it seems that until they are willing to completely remove the torrent sites from their search results, they are only willing to make small steps due to the fear of losing users.”

It would be good to see an option in Webmaster Tools to allow site owners to remove specific phrases appearing in auto suggest, or in extreme cases even removing other peoples pages from the top natural listings for your brand searches.

I don’t mean being able to take out other peoples bad reviews or negative comments, but starting to type “photoshop” in now and I can see a couple of variations of Googling for a serial number in the auto suggest…. there is no legit reason you should be searching that. Though strangely I can’t see “photoshop torrent” as a suggested one, no idea if they’ve manually removed that?

Get in Touch

Things are better when they’re made simpler. That’s why the David Naylor blog is now just that; a blog. No sales pages, no contact form - just interesting* info about SEO.

If you’d like to find out more about the Digital Marketing services we do provide then head over to Bronco (our main company website) to get in touch.